Cabatuan at its Best

 All About the "Tinuom"

Tinuom is a popular delicacy in Cabatuan. In fact, the Tinuom festival was created because of the popularity of the dish. The dish is composed of native chicken bits, tomatoes, tanglad and chopped onions. The dish is cooked by wrapping it in banana leaves and heated in a clay pot. The tinuom tastes a bit like tinola but less salty and the banana leaves gives the dish its own distinctive taste.
If you happen to drop by Cabatuan, be sure to try the dish at Leah’s Tinuom. It is a quaint and cozy carinderia right beside Cabatuan public market. A bowl of tinuom costs 50 pesos and comes with a cup of rice. Aside from its original Tinuom dish, there’s grilled squid and other turo-turo dishes.

Tinuom Recipe

Tinuom Closer View

Tinuom in a Clay Pot

Tinuom Ingredients

• Bumbay/Sibuyas (Onion)
• Kamatis (Tomato)
• Tanglad (Lemon Grass)
• Vetsin (MSG-monosodium glutamate)
• Asin (Salt)
• Tubig (water)
• Native Chicken – must be 7-14 months old.
• Banana Leaves
• Bamboo string or any string for tying up the tinu-om
• 2 bowls for preparation

There are 5 easy steps:

The Tinuom souped in a banana leaf

1. In one bowl, place the chicken and season it with onion, tomato, vetsin and the salt and then add some water. The 7-14 month old chickens will have to boil for about 30 minutes for it to be ready for serving. Older chickens will take almost an hour. One order of tinu-om would have 3-4 pieces.
2. In another bowl prepare the banana leaves to be used for the wrap. Use Saba banana leaves rather than other kinds of banana leaf. It affects the flavor, aroma and outcome of the Tinu-om.
3. Eventually, pour the marinated chicken into the bowl lined with banana leaf, gather the edges and tie it with a bamboo string or any piece of string. Make sure that it won’t leak.
4. After tying it up, place it in a casserole full of water and then place it on fire. You may steam it but you can place it within the water casserole for a better result when it comes to taste. Then wait.

A Tinuom Stall in Cabatuan

 The San Nicolas de Tolentino Church (Cabatuan, Iloilo)

The Cabatuan Church, also known as Iglesia de San Nicolas de Tolentino is the first and largest red brick church in the Visayas. Two grand belfries stood on each side of the church. The grand neo classical church was given the monicker “Iglesia Primera El Centro de Iloilo. It was also considered as “model of temples”.

Cabatuan Church History

Fr. Ramon Alquezar, the parish priest of Cabatuan was responsible for the construction of the church in early 1800. Due to shortage of materials, he had to use bricks to build the church. Thus, the brick manufacturing was introduced in town of Cabatuan.

The intricate decorations of the church’s interior was then spearheaded by Fr. Manuel Guttierez. The church was completed in 1866 under the supervision of Fr. Manuel Ruiz. After the church’s completion, it was the celebrated church in the Central Iloilo.

Sources:  http://ilonggos.net/iloilo/iloilo-tourist-place/cabatuan-church-iglesia-de-san-nicolas-de-tolentino

http://ilonggos.net/iloilo/iloilo-delicacies/tinuom-cabatuan-iloilo-delicacy